One Last Mission
by SignedSealedWritten
Summary: If he corrected her, Leroy Jethro Gibbs would not die." Ziva is sent on one last mission for Mossad under the threat of her father ...
1. Prologue

**One Last Mission**

"Anything can be endured for a moment."

"I am sorry, Gibbs." She said the words again, even though she'd said them before. Their current situation was her fault, and she was willing to accept the blame for it. Over the past six hours and twenty three minutes, her voice had grown hoarse. No light filtered through the small window in the basement, and she could not see anything in the darkness. She figured night had fallen. It'd been dark when they'd been thrown into where they were, and it was still dark. She hoped for light soon. Light could provide them with more options.

"Don't apologize. Sign of weakness." The words were oddly reassuring, slurred and weak as they were. Ziva David's own injuries were of no concern to her. It was Gibb's concussion that bothered her, and his lack of coherent responses. Training as a Mossad officer had always taught her to look out for herself, taught her to handle capture and torture – but none too many had taught her how not to just survive, but to get the man next to her to survive as well.

"We are up a creek without an oar, Gibbs." She said, speaking not for herself, but for him – she spoke the idiom wrong on purpose, to hear him correct her. Perhaps if he corrected her, things were not as bad as they seemed. She couldn't see her own hands – she felt them tied behind her back.

If he corrected her, Leroy Jethro Gibbs would not die.

The silence dragged on …

**TBC**

Author's Note:

Welcome to the newest story – my first NCIS one, but here's something new: this story is going to be written by three people. Myself, RukiaDeathKutchiki, and LegacyoftheDawn. The next chapter will be written by Rukia. Obviously, this is a prologue: the next chapter will continue where this took place, but will include flashbacks and such.


	2. Blind

**One Last Mission **

It was hours later when the darkness still dragged on and she realized that something was horribly wrong – something more wrong than the obvious. Night had been too long … night was longer than it had ever been. Was it possible that no windows existed in the place? Adrenaline raced through her veins as she turned her head towards the sound of Gibbs. Her voice was hoarse when she spoke. "Gibbs," She said, clearing her throat. "is there a window in this place?"

He was decidedly less coherent than before, but he answered her, which allowed the former Mossad agent a moment of relief. "Yes, Ziva." His voice was nearly silent and it took him a moment to complete the sentence. The last thing she remembered, he'd been hit in the head with the butt of a gun. Were the affects worse than she'd thought? "Why?"

Instantly her throat closed, and she struggled with the sudden fear that she'd never allowed herself to feel. "Can you…" she swallowed. "See? Can you see, Gibbs?"

"Ziva?" Gibbs was suddenly more coherent, forcing himself to be for the sake of the woman next to him. He could hear the fear she struggled to repress in her voice. "Why are you asking me?"

"No reason, Gibbs." She suppressed all fear she may have felt.

"Ziva?"

Blind and very close to being afraid, the world turned to black as Ziva fainted …

_**Flashback**_

She was sitting at her desk when the call came through, a call that would send chills through her veins and nearly stop her breath. She knew it couldn't be possible – and it wasn't possible for it wasn't true, but it didn't stop her from having to put her head down on her desk for just a fast moment.

The call … the voice on the phone … it wasn't possible, for the voice that spoke the words was long dead. She knew this. She'd killed him herself. And there was something off about the voice that scared her. She knew it couldn't be real, but it didn't fail to freak her out. Perhaps that was what scared her the most – that she had allowed herself to be riled by the call.

The call was from her brother. It was his voice, undeniably, and it told her that she had to complete one more mission, under the threat of her father.

"You'll complete this mission, Ziva." He'd said, and the voice was so familiar that her head spun. "Or someone on your team will meet the same fate as Caitlin."

She knew that he wasn't below it. She wanted to cry, but she didn't. She wanted to scream and punch the computer at her desk, she thought of kicking the copy machine again.

But she didn't. Because she had control, because it was how she'd been trained.

"What're you up to, Zee-vah?" DiNozzo passed the desk as he came in that morning, but didn't wait for a response – he went to McGee, discussing his plans for this weekend. She knew she couldn't tell him – as much as she wanted to. It was the first time she'd ever really wanted to tell someone else just how much this _hurt_ – but she didn't.

"Nothing, DiNozzo." She said, picking up her bag in her hand and starting to walk towards the door. They could wonder where she went, she pretended she didn't care that it would panic them. She could feel his eyes on her back, the confused state of his mind.

"Where are you going, Ziva?"

She'd been so caught up in her own mind that she hadn't noticed her boss's entrance. "Gibbs." She acknowledged, trying to continue out of the building.

"I asked where you were going, Ziva." He blocked her way.

"I'm leaving."

"_Ziva." _

"Gibbs." She answered.

"Meeting room. _Now_, Ziva."

Author's Note:

Rukia (PROBIE 3): My friend edited this and I did the best that I could coming up with this idea, please be kind. Thank you and have a nice day!

SSW: I'm the friend. And your chapter was awesome. Couldn't have done it without you.

Dawn: Yes, the dawn.

SSW: There's something wrong with you, Dawn.

Dawn's writing the next chapter. Please review, hope you enjoyed, no Ari is NOT coming back to life, don't worry. SSW thought about being Dead Kate (Abby's vision, FTW.) for Halloween, because she's wearing a blonde wig right now and found spray paint blood for the bullet hole. Now THAT would have been funny.


	3. Rule Fifteen

_Previously in One Last Mission… _

"_I asked where you were going, Ziva." He blocked her way._

"_I'm leaving."_

"_Ziva." _

"_Gibbs." She answered._

"_Meeting room. Now, Ziva."_

**Flashback Continues**

Leroy Jethro Gibbs was not a man one kept secrets from, especially when said secrets concerned him or his team. So, when Special Agent Ziva David walked towards the door looking like a caged tiger, he wasn't about to let it go. He walked back into the elevator, waiting for his agent to follow.

The doors chimed shut, and the elevator began its decent, five seconds later, the power cut, leaving Ziva trapped inside with her boss. Gibbs took a moment to analyze his subordinate.

Even an untrained civilian could tell she was worried. Ziva was fidgeting; her muscles were tightly wound, ready to spring at the slightest provocation. More subtle signs, the light breathing, her flushed face, her reflexive scans searching for exits- an ingrained habit for most police and military personnel- told him everything. A quick sip of his coffee, black, of course, and Gibbs started his interrogation.

"Anything you want to tell me Ziva?"

"Nothing Gibbs, listen, I was just going to-"

"-To what Ziva? Kill Someone? "

"No... no, I just needed a moment to freeze up, Tony just hit a nerve today is all. I lost my cool Gibbs."

"Don't lie to me Ziva, you don't just _lose your cool_!" A hint of agitation entered his voice as his eyes bore into hers.

Ziva broke eye contact, she felt naked under his gaze, her soul seemed laid bare, her deepest secrets exposed for him to see; even so, she wanted to keep him, her _true father_, safe, she would try to keep up her façade for his sake, him and the team she had grown to see as family.

"Its noth-"

Gibbs punched the wall with his free hand.

"Like hell it is Ziva! Something's wrong and I'm going to get to the bottom of it!"

"Honestly Gibbs, it was just DiNozzo! I just need today, I'll be back tomorrow."

He sighed. "Alright, go, just don't let your personal problems interfere with the team, got it Ziva?" She straightened up.

"Of course, Gibbs."

He flipped the switch, and Ziva walked out into the lobby, heading straight to the door. Gibbs returned to the bullpen.

'Hey boss! What's goin'-?"

"McGee, was Agent David acting strange this morning?"

"Um, no boss... Oh! But she did get a phone call right before Tony got here."

"And?"

"Well boss after the call she seemed kinda tense-" McGee said. Tony laughed.

"Ziva? Riled up by a phone call? That's about as likely as-" The sound of a hand making contact with Tony's head was heard. "...thank you boss."

"Anything else McGee?"

"Um, no, boss."

"Get a lock on Ziva's cell, DiNozzo." Gibbs ordered.

"Do you think someth-"

"_Now_, DiNozzo!"

He scurried off. "McGee, go to Abby and trace the call that's got Ziva so worked up!"

"What about you, boss?" He asked.

"Wha'dya think?!"

Tony yelled from across the room. "Why are you so worked up about this, boss?"

Gibbs grabbed the keys off the table, turning on the spot and calling over his shoulder. "Rule fifteen, DiNozzo!"

**Flashback Ended**

"Rule Fifteen." Ziva said, sightless eyes gazing into the distance. "That's why you followed me." She didn't receive an answer, and all she wanted was to be able to see. Her hands tied roughly behind her back, she couldn't reach out to feel if he had a pulse.

She listened, and heard his breathing …

And someone entered the room.

**Author's Note: **

SSW: By the way, we don't own anything. AT ALL. Anything at all. Not even … our own SOULS. We don't own our SOULS. If we DID own NCIS, we wouldn't be sitting here. We'd be having a random dancing scene with Cote and Harmon. And the producers. And … yeah, shutting up now.

Dawn: I wrote this chapter. SSW overwrote me when I wanted Gibbs to "Dramatically" lift up the keys… common seal, THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN FUNNY!!!... I'm BORED DAMNIT!

SSW: Dawn wrote it all except for the end. Where it says 'flashback ends'. AND DAWN WANTED TO USE THE WORD DRAMATICALLY.

Rukia: -is standing behind SSW-

SSW: HAS TO TYPE EVERYTHING. I DON'T GET THAT.

IMMA POST THIS NOW.


	4. Persuit

**One Last Mission**

"Bevakasha, Gibbs." She murmured, hearing their approach, but unable to see. The darkness was all-consuming, pressing against her like an uninvited visitor. She tensed her shoulders, hoping against hope that she was dreaming, but knowing she wasn't.

A door slammed shut, and she tried not to flinch. Ziva felt the movement of the intruders feet coming closer to her … they stopped mere inches from her body. Discreetly, she pulled at her wrists, trying to free herself to no avail.

"Grandpa is sleeping, yes?" He asked. She felt his hand ghosting her cheek.

"I will bury you." She promised. "I will bury you for what you did to him." Her words were dangerous, and cold as ice.

She heard a chuckle before the man began to sing – low at first, under his breath, then louder, until he was laughing and singing the taunt at the top of her lungs. It sent chills down her spin even as she tried to stop them.

"One blind rat," He whispered. "One blind rat, see how she runs." His voice was a taunt. "See how she runs, she went after the farmer's wife, who cut off her tail with a carving knife, she'll never see another thing in her life, one blind rat!" He spat out the words.

She swallowed at the modified lyrics. "Does that make you the farmer's wife?" She whispered seductively.

There was a terrible roar from the man at her ruining of his taunt. She'd managed to enrage him. She waited for the blow that never came.

What happened was worse.

There was the sound of a fist connecting, a snap and a sickening crunch. Ziva stifled the shout that rose to her lips – why hadn't she known that they'd use him to get to her? She could hear him, conscious through the beating, knew that if she screamed they'd only prolong it …

**Flashback **

He had eyes on her car, speeding on the freeway. The red mini cooper was swerving in and out of traffic – he kept a two car distance behind and he knew that if she saw him, she'd have already made that known.

From the direction of the car, and from what he'd inferred, he could only guess that she was headed to the airport.

The silence of the car was broken by the ringing of his phone.

"McGee, you'd better have good news for me." He said, keeping his eyes on the speeding red car.

"Uh, boss, she booked a flight-"

"_Where_, McGee!"

"Uh, this airport in Israel, Hatzor-"

"Time and flight number?"

There was a shuffling heard in the background, and then Abby's voice was on the line instead of McGee's. She rattled off the time and flight number, and he hung up without saying another word, dialing another number.

"This is NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs." He said. "I need you to apprehend a potential suspect, NCIS Special Agent Ziva David."

**Author's Notes: **

**SSW: Well, this chapter was interesting to write, mainly because of the typos that occur when you only have two hours of sleep. Throughout the course of this chapter, Gibbs has a clone that acts as a cell phone (a "self phone"), Gibbs' "found" rang, Gibbs danced the can can on Rukia's dining room table and left a message after the beat, and became Michael Jackson. Yes. I'm serious. CAN CAN WELCOME TO THE CAN CAN. Gibbs phone happened to be the ringtone of thriller, Gibbs phone was on vibrate, and we got weird looks in the school library. **

**And RUKIA AND DAWN NEED TO BE QUIET SO **_**SOMEONE**_** CAN TYPE. **


	5. Arrest

**One Last Mission**

She listened for minutes after the footsteps retreated, ears straining to make up for her missing sight. The only sound in the room was Gibbs' labored breathing and the scurrying of tiny feet – not human sized, and she deducted they were rats from the scratching on the floor.

"_Gibbs_." She hissed, listening into the darkness, wanting to see. For a moment she received no answer, straining to hear even the smallest change in sound. When he did answer, it was a sound of pain: something she'd never imagined hearing from her boss. "_Gibbs, _answer me." She told him; it was nothing less than a command.

"Zi.." He didn't get any farther than the first part of her name, but it was enough for her to know that he was some form of alive.

"I am so sorry, Gibbs." She said again, waiting for the reprimand but receiving none. "I never wanted for you to get involved." She didn't wait for a response – she knew that she wouldn't get one. "This was my business." She shook her head, her hands tied and pressed behind her back. "You should not have followed me." She whispered, eyes floating sightlessly to the ceiling, attempting to hold back tears. The time that had passed – a short time, really – since they'd left D.C. had changed them – both of them, undeniably.

"I never should have joined again after Somalia."

--

She was standing on the line for security when they caught up with her. She felt them behind her before she saw them; the hairs on the back of her neck stood up on end. Her muscles tensing, she felt a shiver run down her spine. _Not here_, she prayed. If she had to do this, if she had to go back home and complete this one last mission, _don't let it start here_. Things would be so much easier if she didn't have to be suspected of murder in the states while she somehow found her way to Israel.

_One,_ she started to count down, hearing the sound of walkie-talkies and the sound of approaching feet … _two… _She turned her head an inch to the side and saw, out of the corner of her eye, the approaching men, couldn't tell what they wanted yet … _three!_

She spun, dark eyes narrowed and reflexes ready. Her hand slipped back to the gun still in its holster, not taken from her yet for security purposes. Even Federal Agents had to remove all weapons before boarding; there were few exceptions, especially after 9/11.

Security guards. Nothing more.

"I am going to reach into my pocket." She told them, and they paused. "I am going to get my badge." She waited, and one of them nodded, giving her the clearance. She pulled out her NCIS badge, holding it up for them. At the same time, she placed her gun on the ground. She didn't have any intentions of getting shot any time soon. "Federal Agent Ziva David. NCIS."

"Ziva David," One of the security guards, from what she could see, he was the head of security at the airport. "You're under arrest." His voice was grainy. He approached her, kicking the gun out of the way. Somewhere not too far away, a young child was screeching, and the mother was trying to hush him.

"I am under arrest for…?" She asked, and he grabbed her shoulder roughly, spinning her and locking her hands behind her back. "Learn how to treat a woman." She hissed.

"NCIS called." He said, and she felt the air go out of her. Unfortunately, the guard took that as an admission of guilt and locked the cuffs even tighter. She restrained herself from growling at him, narrowing her eyes instead. "There will be someone here to pick you up and bring you down to headquarters in ten minutes, Agent David."

"It's _Dah-vid._" She said, feeling the urge to kick him. She could do it, easily, hands tied behind her back as they were.

"I don't _care_. You're under arrest whether your name is David, _Dah-vid_, or Huckleberry Finn."

"Who does that make you?" She asked sarcastically as he started to shove her forward towards their holding room. "Tom Sawyer?"

"Shut up."

She would easily kick him down, if she didn't know what this was. That being said, she did know what this was.

_Gibbs, you're going to regret this_.

**Author's Note: **

**SSW: **Why are there no people helping me write here?

**Dawn: **I accidentally made a Ziva-ism yesterday: "I hit the bat on the head."

**SSW: **Lovely. WHY CANT PEOPLE ACT NORMAL?

**Dawn: **Because if we did, it would be boring.

**Rukia: **Highly.

**SSW: **I feel like I'm the only SEMI normal one. I also officially don't like the word "labored", (or the word "groan") and, if you can't tell, am the one who types these chapters, because everyone else is lazy. –points to dawn and rukia- someone yell at them for me.

**Dawn: **Oy, I typed chapter three.

**SSW: **Most of it. –hits head on desk- ALSO, nobody is doing the electric slide with their hands tied behind their backs, _Dawn_. Ow. And this chapter has lasted for TWO DAYS now, because we can't get down to business.

Please review. We beg of you. We'll stand on our heads and dance if we have to.


	6. Suspicion

**One Last Mission**

Her jaw was jutted, her eyes on the wall, as Gibbs entered the holding room. She'd had no doubt that it was him who'd called – her eyes raised up to meet his, and there was anger in hers.

"You arrested me." It wasn't a question.

"You didn't exactly leave me with a choice, Ziva." He told her, leaning towards her, his arms braced on the table.

She narrowed her eyes and raised her chin to meet the blue eyes staring at her now. "Perhaps," She began, her voice wavering on the edge of her defenses. "You could remove the cuffs." She couldn't deal with this, couldn't do this – she needed to get to Israel. The former Mossad officer knew that her boss didn't know why – but she couldn't tell him, on fear of the team's lives.

"When we get back to headquarters." He told her, and looked back towards the waiting security guards. "Or else they'll want to know why I just uncuffed a criminal I asked them to detain."

--

A tense silence filled the car as Gibbs left with his 'prisoner' in tow.

"Ziva." The bound woman gave no answer.

"Ziva, what the hell were you thinking? We don't run off and do things on our own; I thought you learned that after Somalia!" His heated voice penetrated the haze clouding Ziva's mind, she hadn't expected Gibbs to find her so quickly

But, this is Gibbs we are talking about' she thought sardonically, 'I should know by now not to underestimate him' She was torn from her self-recriminations by her boss, whose tone had gone flat, never a good sign.

"I'm finding it hard to trust you right now, Ziva... I convinced the director to take you in, but if you go running of to Israel again I might not be able to get you out of it." This chilled her to the core, Gibbs had always been her pillar, ever since, no, even before Ari he had seemed invincible; he had stood up to his boss, the head of the FBI, and even her own father and had come out unscathed, surely he could help her here…right?

The car came to a grinding halt, stretching Ziva's seatbelt taut as her full weight and momentum slammed into it. She looked up, and immediately regretted the action. The piercing blue eyes of her commanding officer once again pierced her defenses, as if judging her every flaw, her insecurities, the weaknesses she never even knew she had. Even so, she didn't break away, she, in a singular act of defiance, dredged up her strength of will, fighting a battle she could never hope to win. She may have been Mossad, but he was a marine, a man who laughed in death's face more times than she could ever imagine.

He broke eye contact, and nodded, as if judging her worthy, his steely blue eyes softened slightly, showing the slightest hint of pride. They quickly returned to their frozen state, and he asked the question she had been dreading. "What's going on Ziva? You wouldn't just abandon us, and trust me… I'll know if you're lying."

Ziva had no doubt of that; to successfully lie to Gibbs was tantamount to an act of God, she had learned to mask her body language, but she had no doubt he would see right through it.

"Now, Ziva."

---

"Check out her father." It was the first thing Tony said upon coming into the Abby's lab "See what he's been up to."

"Tony, you do realize that we don't have any way to monitor him…right?" McGee asked, turning to see the Senior Agent.

"Then shut up and find one McGeek!" He started walking to the elevator. "I'm going to go through a… less subtle route, see where that takes me."

The door closed behind him, leaving McGee still looking towards the elevator, a blank look on his face.

"Wow… he really does channel Gibbs when he isn't around."

--

Tony had never particularly liked Leon, as far as he (and Gibbs, though he would never know that) were concerned, he was a bit too much of a kiss-ass, unlike Jenny. She had done so disdainfully, but this guy seemed too eager to bend to the opposition.

Taking a page out of Gibbs' book, he walked through the director's door, completely ignoring the stunned secretary.

The door swung open, and Leon looked up, he had received the report about Gibbs' 'retirement' and during that time, the young agent had apparently held his own. He didn't particularly trust the report, Jenny had a known relationship with this team, but this director wouldn't make the same mistake.

"Hey Leon, I need to know what your good buddy Eli has been up to. So, wanna share?" Tony asked, throwing propriety out the window.

Leon sighed, knowing that he was about to get into something. "Listen DiNozzo, I can't go handing off classified information. I need a reason."

"Director, something's gone wrong with Ziva, and we know he father probably has something to do with it! She walked out on us today, no explanation."

"Agent DiNozzo, I suspect this is just a side effect from Somalia. She's fine." Leon said.

"But, Leon-"

"This conversation is over DiNozzo, please, see yourself out."

Tony opened his mouth to say something, resisted the urge, and left the room, the door closing loudly behind him.

**TBC  
Author's Note:  
This chapter is mainly Dawn's, though SSW edited for grammatical purposes. She also wrote the beginning, before they were in the car.  
Opinions? We're so glad that there are people out there reading this!**

_**Also**_** – if any of you have suggestions, please do share!**


	7. Sob

**One Last Mission**

It felt as if she'd run for too long. Her heart was pounding against her chest as if it were a caged bird trying to free itself. Her hands shook from adrenaline. This wasn't _right_ – she could have dealt with herself being here, but not Gibbs.

There was something fundamentally wrong with the fact that he was there, sitting next to her, incapacitated.

There was something fundamentally wrong with the fact that she could do nothing to save them. That she had to rely on the hope that someone _somehow_ would find them and save both their skins. She seemed to rely on others a lot lately.

First in Somalia. Now, this. She didn't know how long it would be before she could not handle it.

"I should have been smarter, Gibbs." She spoke aloud though she knew the risks of them hearing her. "I should have seen through it." Her head rested against the cold, damp wall behind her. "At the very least," She murmured, "I should have tried harder to lie to you." There was no answer from the other side of the room; for a moment she stilled her own breathing to be sure that she could still hear his.

She laughed; it was short and sarcastic. "I would not have done it." She told him as if he could hear her. It was, however, only because he _couldn't_ hear her that she spoke to him now. "I would not have done it if it had not been for his threat." Tears threatened to spill over the edge; she held them back. "I could not let him take another one away."

There was a sharp intake of breath from the other side of the room; she stopped speaking immediately. For the first time since they'd been held captive, she hoped that he could not hear her.

"'s where …" Gibbs spoke in a struggling tone. "You're … wrong."

"Gibbs…" She said, shaking her head. The small movement made her sick to her stomach. "I was not going to let them take another like they took Kate from you." The tears that had threatened to spill fell over the edge. She did not say that she could not let them take another from _her_, either – that Tony's death, Abby's death, McGee or Gibb's death would be unbearable to her.

It was a moment before he spoke again; she could nearly hear him attempting to speak. "You … ever stop…" He stopped speaking for a moment, and she feared that he'd fallen asleep again. When he spoke, his voice was stronger. "To think that … losing you would … be the same thing?"

"_Gibbs_." She said, feeling suddenly colder. "He threatened to end a life on the team the same way Kate died." Her words trembled.

"So you figured … that losing you … would not be the same?"

She didn't answer him; she did not have the strength to. Ziva curled her legs closer to her body; and for the first time since she'd received the phone call with Ari's voice, began to sob.

**Author's Note: **

**Is there anyone reading this? We haven't got as many reviews as we usually do, so we're just wondering. This one goes out to Rukia. Because **_**math class sucks**_**. And we all know it. **

**Shorter chapter, next one will be much longer. Please review!**

**Much Love, **

**SSW**


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